The first case of HIV/AIDS is reported, the Apple MacIntosh personal computer is released, the Space Shuttle Challenger explodes, the Berlin Wall falls, and the Tiananmen Square student uprising takes place in Beijing. These are just a few of the monumental moments of the 1980s that impacted the course of recent history.
Here at home, Tamarind Institute experiences moments of change and growth, collaborating with artists from around the world. The institute establishes the Collectors Club (which continues to thrive today) to support its programs and student printers, and the United States Information Agency (USIA) supports two traveling exhibitions of Tamarind lithographs, circulating to twenty-three countries in Europe and Eastern Europe, and later to Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Marjorie L. Devon is appointed Director of Tamarind and Bill Lagattuta is appointed Master Printer and Workshop Manager, both of whom would remain in their positions for decades.
As the millennium sneaks onto the horizon, Tamarind continues to pursue and refine its experimental and collaborative spirit, capturing a glimpse of the complexities of life in the 1980s, as seen in the selection of prints below.
